Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope it's been a nice week at your house.  We had snow, a 3 day weekend, temps in the 70s, dentist appointments, projects and meetings.  It was a busy week.  Did you catch my blog posts?

Super Simple Puppy Chow - so easy your kids could make it!

Ask for Help with Dinner - it's made dinner time so much better for us!

Now onto my favorites of the week:

1. Acrylic Cutting Board - I got this for myself after Christmas and I love it so much.  It sits on the counter so nicely with the counter lip, doesn't move when you are chopping and you barely even notice it since it is clear.  Nothing has stained it or scratched it so far.  It wipes clean so easily.  My pretty counters show through, it's easy to leave out or to store in my pantry.  It's my very favorite cutting board.  It comes in three sizes.  I ordered the largest XXL size (24 x 18in) and I have been so happy with it.  And it is 40% off right now!

XXL Acrylic Cutting Board

XL Acrylic Cutting Board

L Acrylic Cutting Board

2. Favorite OOTD.  I love this new Tommy Hilfiger Casual Band Jacket.  It's the prettiest shade of pink and it is so soft.  It is hard to find comfy blazers but this one has pockets and is the softest material.  I love it paired with Rockstar super skinnies from Old Navy, pointy toe flats, leopard belt and big gold hoops!  This outfit will be on repeat.  Amazon has this jacket in chili pepper red, sky capt/navy or a really pretty charcoal/black.  I love it so much that I'd grab it in another color - either chili pepper red or the black!

Chili Pepper Red Band Jacket

Navy/Sky Capt Band Jacket

Charcoal/Black Band Jacket

3. Playscapes - We met some friends at The Hills church this week to play.  Leo loves this place!  It's so nice to have a spot where moms can visit and kids can play inside.

4. Crusty bread grilled cheese.  I tried making a grilled cheese this week with my own homemade crusty bread.  It was delicious!  I would cut the bread a little thinner next time, but otherwise it was perfection.

5. 5th grade market day February edition.  We made valentine cookie playdoh and hearts.  Olive was thrilled to go to school and sell these to her friends.

6. School lunches.  My kids love snacky lunches and they really love when the lunches include a homemade treat.  My mom's sugar cookies & my rice krispie treats.

7. 2nd Grade incentives.  Fletcher's class started a new incentive program this week and he can earn ducks or frogs for great work and great behavior at school.  He is so proud of his growing collection of cute critters.  He's very motivated to do his best to earn these fun surprises throughout his day.

8. Sleepovers.  It makes my heart so happy to go and check on the kids before I go to bed and find this.  Triple snuggles.  I'm so glad they have each other.  They actually sleep better and go to sleep faster doing couch slumber parties than they do in their own bedrooms!

9. Dig N Roll.  A new indoor play place opened in our city and it's so cool!  I took Leo and then had to bring the older kids with friends when they were out of school.  They all loved it!  Age 3, 7 and 10!  That is not always the easiest thing to do to find something they all enjoy, but Dig N Roll fits the bill.  They have everything - ball pits, slides, climbing structures, pretend play spots, water tables, sand pit, real car wash station, a stage and more.  We have been 3 times and they all ask to go back regularly.  It seems to be most crowded in the mornings and pretty empty in the afternoons/evenings.

10. SNOW!  Last Friday we got some surprise snow and it was so pretty!  We weren't sure we'd get anything but rain.  Seeing it snow like a snow globe was the best way to end the week.  The boys were thrilled to make tiny snowmen.  I also grabbed some snow toys on clearance.  I think this snow ball maker is going to come in handy for future snow days.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'll see you back here next week!

Linking up with Momfessionals

Ask for Help with Dinner

I don't know about you, but it is daunting to come up with delicious dinners every night.  It's a lot of extra decisions to cook dinner most nights that your family will enjoy.  It requires grocery shopping, organizing, planning, prepping and preparing and some times that feels like too much work.  We grab dinner out (Door Dash or take out on the weekends) and then I cook most nights.

We started something new in February with our dinner routine and I have loved it so much!

I started asking for help with dinner.

I assigned each person a week and when it is their week, they help me come up with the dinner menu.  We look in the freezer, fridge and pantry to help come up with the menu and then I add new items needed to the grocery list for the week.  So far each person has loved helping me with the menu.  They haven't always loved being my kitchen helper for the week, but I kind of expected that.  When it is their week, they are in charge of setting and helping clear the table, getting drinks, helping me with dishes and helping prepare dinner.  I don't think anyone would call those fun jobs.  They're just absolutely necessary life skills.

My formula is super simple.  

Print out a free monthly calendar online.  Assign each person a week.  Pick a day to work on the menu for the week.  Pencil in dinners & maybe even a special treat for the week.  Penciling everything in allows for you to make changes as things come up during the week.  Shop and prepare like you usually do and ask your kitchen helper for a little extra help on their week.  I hung our menu on the week and the whole family is paying attention to dinner.  They're noticing and getting excited to put their favorite meals on the menu. We have had good conversations about seasonally appropriate foods, not having ground beef every night and meals that would work best for busy nights.

Chicken Quesadillas

Homemade Hibachi

White Chicken Chili

It has been so nice to have extra help in the kitchen!  I have enjoyed this routine and will continue it in the months to come.

How do you do your weekly menu planning?  Would my routine work for your family?

Super Simple Puppy Chow

Happy Tuesday!  I hope you had a great weekend!  We loved having three days off together.

I have the easiest recipe for you today.  You just need 6 ingredients, a big bowl and a gallon size ziploc bag to make this yummy Puppy Chow.  It's the yummiest peanut butter + chocolate cereal snack mix.  I've always enjoyed this treat, but I think this is the first time I've ever made it for my family.  The kids loved it.  We had it for Valentine's Day and I think it would be delicious at any gathering.

Ingredients:

1 cup Tollhouse Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup JIF Creamy Peanut Butter

4T Butter

1 t vanilla

6 cups General Mills Rice Chex cereal

2 cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in the microwave and stir until well combined.  Add in the vanilla and stir until it is mixed in.  Pour the chocolate mixture over 6 cups of rice chex in a large bowl.  Stir until the cereal is well coated.  Dump the chocolate coated cereal into a gallon size ziploc bag carefully.  It works best if one person can hold the bag open while another person scoops the cereal into the bag.  Dump one cups of powdered sugar into the bag and mix until coated.  Add in the second up of powdered sugar and mix around until all the cereal is coated.  Store in an airtight container.

My kids loved this and it would be an easy recipe to make with your kids.

The kids loved having Puppy Chow in their school lunches!

You've got to try this super simple Puppy Chow!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope you had a week filled with love.  We had a nice week here.  

Did you catch my blog posts?  I talked about everything from homemade salad dressing to spending $9 on a Valentine's Day card for Kevin.

3 Simple Homemade Salad Dressings

Say Yes to More

Love in Numbers

Now onto my favorite moments of the week:

1. Valentine's Day festivities!  We gathered up all their heart shirts and accessories and had a really fun holiday week!

2. Stamp markers!  I surprised the kids with these for Valentine's Day and they all love them.  The come in a bucket of 44 markers for $14.99.  The quality is great.  They are perfect for toddlers to preteens and even adults.  They work so well and we all loved them.  They'd be so good for Easter baskets, party favors, craft projects or fun art supplies to take on vacation.  Here's my amazon link: 

Colorations STAMPBUCK Washable Markers

3. Valentine's Day called for I love you berry much lunches and a little dessert buffet.  Anything dipped in Nutella is a good combo!

4. 2nd grade class party.  I got to go to Fletcher's class party and we had so much fun.  The kids were so excited to exchange valentines, play Valentine BINGO, eat snacks and celebrate together.  He's got really nice friends and it's always a treat to see him in his classroom.  I loved teaching 2nd grade so it made me feel really nostalgic to be in the classroom on a fun holiday.

5. Gifts.  I grabbed a couple favorite things for each kid and their favorite candies.  It was simple and sweet and they all loved their surprises.  I got Kevin chocolates and he got me these fun jewelry cleaner pens on the go to keep my diamonds sparkly.  They're from MINE Company.  I love that they are mess free so it's perfect to keep in your car to use while you're waiting.  They keep your diamonds so sparkly.  Here's my Amazon link to them:

On The Go MINE Ring Cleaner Pen

6. Jordan Bakery Box.  I baked a lot of cookies for Valentine's day and the Super Bowl this week.

7.  Leo is very into giving kisses and it's my favorite.  He's a good helper at the grocery store as long as it involves snacking while he rides in the cart plus picking out a new Hotwheels car or two.

8. Fletcher loves to go metal detecting in our yard and one day while he was digging he came across a giant heart rock for me.  It lives on our patio and I love it so much.

9. Leo's at home Valentine's Day.  He kept using his new truck to pick up things like markers and my flowers.  Then he got to spend a good chunk of the day hanging out with his Papaw.  I had a busy day so Papaw saved the day by hanging out with Leo.  They played baseball, shot Nerf guns, went for a walk and played.  You won't be surprised that he asked for Papaw to come back over the next day.

10. Superbowl Sunday.  Our day did not goes as planned.  Leo woke up sick so we stayed home from church and had to cancel our Superbowl party that we were hosting with friends.  We were bummed, but tried to make the most of it.  Kevin printed games for us to play, the kids got really into watching the game and I made a yummy spread of food for just us.  Kevin loves Patrick Mahomes and has for years so he was thrilled with the outcome of the game.  Most of my cookie orders were for Chiefs cookies so I know lots of people were excited to see them win.

11. Leo's cool new trick is to put his writing utensils behind his ear when he needs a break from his work.  He loves this letter game and I love his cool new trick.

His other new favorite game is Dr. Leo.  He checks all of our temperatures (we're usually 68 degrees) and need lots of care.  He's been taking care of stuffed animals, our family and our cats (much to their dismay).  He looks so cute as Dr. Leo ready for surgery.

12. Gardener.  Fletcher's been learning about plants, gardening and composting in science this week.  He taught us a few new things about our compost box.  His teacher was so excited that he knew about composting so I snapped pictures and he got to teach his class about how composting works.  It was a really cool opportunity for him to show off his gardening skills.

13. My Uncle Mike passed away last week.  Leo and I headed out of town for his visitation early one morning and we had a nice time visiting with family members that we don't get to see very often.  Leo loved seeing Mike's Corvette in the parking lot and he found a little baby cousin that loved him.  It was bittersweet to be gathering for a funeral, but we were happy to be there to honor Mike.

14. BINGO night.  The kid's school hosted a BINGO night so I took them to play a few games.  None of us won, but we ate popcorn, raised money for a good cause and all agreed that we would be happy to play BINGO more often.

15. Rainbow toes!  I love that my kids know how much I love rainbows.  Leo called for me to see his rainbow toes one morning and it made my day.

I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend!  I'll see you back here early next week.  The kids have a long weekend so it may be Tuesday before I'm back to blogging.

Linking up with Momfessionals

Love in Numbers

Love is...

Splurging to spend $9 on the perfect card for your valentine.

Intending to mail out valentines but running out of time.

Shopping for 5 teacher gifts and cards.

Assembling 24 class valentines.

Locating heart or valentine's day clothing for all 3 kids.

Juggling schedules and meetings so that one parent can be at the class Valentine's Day party.

Buying favorite candies and a small surprise for your 3 kids.

Baking 10 dozen Valentine's Day cookies.

Dipping hundreds of chocolate covered pretzels.

Baking heart shaped food.

Packing 3 heart shaped lunches for your kids.

Going to the dentist to get your cavities filled today to take good care of yourself and hoping it just takes the 1 hour that they scheduled you for.

Making a spaghetti dinner for your family of 5.

Trying homemade crepes for the first time and knowing that the Nutella and berries will be a hit no matter what.

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope your day is filled with all the things you love plus all the regular stuff you have on your to do list.  I love having friends like you!

Say Yes to More

Say YES to more.

My kids are always coming up with the wildest things.  And usually they're pretty easy to please.  Unless they're asking for a cell phone, new kitten or a trip to Hawaii.  

It's easy to just say NO to all of the requests that come your way.  It's easier and not as messy.

But most of the time my kids are creative and crafty and come up with the funniest requests.  I've tried harder as they're getting older to say yes as much as I can.  Especially if it's something that is free, fun or doesn't involve screens.

These are some things that my kids have asked me for and saying YES has totally made their day.

Will you come read on the patio while we play in the backyard?

Can we watch The Voice together after dinner?

Will you make me a chocolate milkshake for dessert tonight?

Can I FaceTime my friend?

Will you help me find a new pair of jeans?  I pulled up some options on Old Navy to show you.

Can you iron together our Perler beads if we make some bead creations?

Will you back your van out of the garage so we can play out there?

Can we make s'mores with our friends at the fire pit?

Could I paint my nails today?

Can I go to Sams with you the next time you go?

Can we bundle up and go ice skate on the frozen puddles?

They did this for over an hour and laughed/smiled the whole time.

Can we have a slumber party in the family room if we promise to go to bed quickly?

Yes.  We have a giant couch in our upstairs family room and they can all easily sleep on it.  They each made their own spot and have been sleeping out there pretty regularly.  From time to time they move back to their own beds, but they love all being in the same room at bedtime.  They don't know this, but this was our hope when we picked out this couch.

Can we freeze PRIME drink and water in our pop its to see how long it takes for them to freeze?  And then eat the ice?

This kept them occupied and engaged for the whole day.  They frozen all kinds of things - water, lemonade, PRIME drink and loved eating their frozen drinks.

This is my encouragement to you - say YES to your kids when you can especially if it's free, fun and/or doesn't involve screens.  Your kids will love it!

3 Simple Homemade Salad Dressings

How was your Super Bowl weekend?  Did your team win?  We had to cancel plans because Leo wasn't feeling great so that was a bummer.  But we made the most of it.  Kevin printed out games for us to play, I made some delicious food and we had a good time.  The kids got really into it.  The older two stayed up to watch overtime and asked tons of questions.  Even though we were cheering for the under dogs, we still had fun.

Now let's talk about salads!  I told you earlier in the year that I was going to work hard to learn how to make my own salad dressings.  And I'm doing it!  I don't love the salad ingredients with tons of sugar or tons of ingredients so homemade dressings feel like the best option for this salad loving girl.

I'm trying to eat at least one salad a day - either a big salad for lunch or a side salad with dinner.

I pinned a bunch of salad dressing recipes and figured out a few of my own.  These are three dressings that I made and have really enjoyed.  I didn't buy any fancy containers for them.  Just used jars and containers I already owned with masking tape labels.  I save my Duke's mayo salad dressing lids for my mason jars and they work like a charm.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

juice of one lemon

3T olive oil

a splash of apple cider vinegar

1 t sugar

1 t you favorite seasoning (Kinder The Blend - salt, pepper & garlic - is my favorite)

Shake until well combined.  Double or triple the recipe and taste it as you go.  It's delicious on salads with fruits or veggies.

Honey Mustard Dressing:

2 T olive oil

2 T Dijon mustard

a splash of Worcestershire sauce

a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar

A sprinkle of your favorite seasoning (Kinder The Blend)

salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar.  Shake until well combined.

Pesto Dressing:

I shared this recipe with you last Summer BLT Pasta Salad and it's still a family favorite.  Even the kids love it!  I changed up the recipe since I didn't have fresh basil on hand.

1/4 c sour cream

1/4 c Dukes mayo

3 T pesto

1 green onion

2 t Worcestershire

a sprinkle of garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste 

Blend all ingredients until smooth and refrigerate.

We eat this on the BLT pasta salad and I think it would be delicious on any salad with vegetables.

Here's an up close of my favorite seasoning.  I use it on everything from salad dressing to baked chicken to burgers.  It's delicious!  And it is super affordable at Sams.

My very favorite veggie packed salad:

All of the dressings would be delicious on this!  I chop the cucumbers, eggs and onions fresh.  Everything else I can chop in bulk ahead of time.

The BLT pasta salad.  It doesn't look amazing, but I promise you that my kids lick their salad bowls.

Our favorite berry side salad.  I chop everything up after school, pop it in the fridge and add the dressing right before I serve it.  Kevin and I love this salad with dinner.  It's got baby spinach, strawberries, honey crisp apples, purple onion, craisins, pecans, parmesan cheese.  Then I add a drizzle of poppyseed dressing or the lemon vinaigrette recipe above before I serve it.

It's such a pretty, delicious salad.

I hope you found a salad dressing that sounds delicious to you!  I'd love to hear what salad dressings you like to make at home.  Share your favorite in the comments.